5 Products to Avoid for a Healthy Skin

The basic nutrition rules are also valid for the aspect of our skin. Color, texture and tonus of the skin are all the result of constant consumption of vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids etc. It doesn’t matter how many creams and lotions we use if we eat improper. So…what we eat is written on our skin!

Here are 5 of the most damaging products for our skin:

1. Sugar

Sugar makes you look older. It doesn’t only make you fat, but also destroys important elements within our bodies. Most vulnerable to such damage are collagen and elastin fibres, which keep our skin firm and elastic – making it look fresh and young. When we consume food products containing sugar (like chocolate, candies, juices etc.), the sugar molecules in our bloodstream stick to protein fibres (collagen and elastin), modifying their form and properties. When damaged, collagen and elastin transform from elastic fibres to dry and easily breakable ones. Also, such modified molecules can deactivate body’s natural antioxidant enzymes with protect the body from sun damage, which also has an important contribution to skin aging process.

2. Milk

Although this might sound strange, you must know that it is true. Several studies have been conducted to investigate the effects of milk on our skin. One of the most important finding was that there is a positive connection between milk intake (both total and skim) and acne. Researchers believe that this is the effect of hormones and other bioactive molecules within milk. As hormones and other stimulating chemicals are more and more used in the feeding process of cows, this problem will probably persist in the future.

3. Alcohol

When consumed in moderation, some alcoholic drinks (mainly wine) might have a positive effect on our health. Still, another effect of alcohol is blood vessel dilatation in the skin. Excessive consumption of alcohol will lead to a chronic dilation of capillaries causing problems for the skin. It is believed that alcohol also makes acne worse.

4. Processed meat

Such food products contain nitrites, fats, salt and other ingredients that damage the skin. One of the worst ingredient is sodium nitrate (used as a preservative for processed meat) which is also believed to cause several types of cancer.

5. Hydrogenated vegetable oil

Such oil is found in significant quantities in margarine, cooking oil, baked products etc. The hydrogenation process of vegetable oil is responsible for the destruction of all nutritional value of original oil. This process creates a mixture of unnatural fats (most of which are trans fatty acids) with have a devastating effect on our health. Such fats cause heart diseases, cancer, diabetes and also damage the immune system. Also, obesity is another effect, which as we all know if becoming a very serious problem nowadays. Being overweight can cause many serious skin problems due to hormone changes. Some of these problems are: stretch marks due to skin stretching; increased strain of leg veins can cause swellings, varicose veins and fluid retention; the extra weight will cause feet to develop problems like calluses and corns; finally, skin rashes and infections might develop due to the growth of bacteria within the body, which in turn is caused by the extra moisture retained in the body.

All the skin problems mentioned above can be avoided with a healthy life style and a well balanced diet. Some of the most important nutrients that contribute to a healthy skin are:

1. Zinc (found in eggs, nuts, oats, oysters, pecans)
2. Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish)
3. Silica (found in green beans, mango, cucumber, strawberries etc.)
4. Vitamin C and E (found in: C – broccoli, oranges, lemons, apples, blackberries etc. and E – seeds, tomatoes, asparagus, whole grains etc.)

I hope the information included in this article will be useful for you and hopefully you will not forget that – What we eat is how we look!!!

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